Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Pre-Release Celebration + Giveaway: Caged in Winter by Brighton Walsh



Hey guys, I'm sure most of you have heard about this new book from author Brighton Walsh (if you haven't, get on it!). I must say, I just started reading it and I'm already in love with the characters (especially Cade). So thank you for joining me today in anticipation for the release of Caged in Winter. We have an excerpt from the book as well as a giveaway.

CAGED IN WINTER BY BRIGHTON WALSH

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Publisher: Berkeley Romance
304 Pages

In this emotional and sexy New Adult debut from Brighton Walsh, the only thing more frightening than commitment is hope…

Aspiring chef Cade Maxwell is immediately, viscerally attracted to Winter Jacobson. But it’s not her mouthwatering curves he’s drawn to—it’s the strange emptiness in her eyes. When Cade saves her from a drunken customer with grabby hands, he’s shocked at her response…

Winter doesn’t need Cade’s help. After a lifetime of getting by on her own, she’s happy to rely on herself. She’s exactly seventy-six days away from graduating college, and if she can hold it together that long, she’ll finally be able to rise above the crappy hand she was dealt.

But now, every time she turns around, Cade is there, ready to push her, smile at her, distract her from her plans. Winter knows she can’t afford to open up—especially to a man she’s terrified to actually want…


Open to US residents only

a Rafflecopter giveaway




cade 
“Okay, now add the flour, but—” It’s too late, a puff of white exploding in Winter’s face before I can get the words out or reach to flip the switch. “You need to turn the mixer to low.”
She spins around, her cheeks covered in random white spots, some of the flour dusting her hair. “You couldn’t say that before, ‘Now add the flour’?” Her voice is low, her eyes narrowed, and I take a step back.
“Well, yeah, I guess I could’ve, but I just sort of figured you’d know enough not to add loose flour to a wildly spinning mixer.”
“Oh, you figured I’d know enough for that, huh? Even after I told you I’ve never made cookies before? Even then?”
She’s advancing on me now, and I shouldn’t be retreating like a scared animal. I have more than a foot on her, a hundred-plus pounds, but she looks pissed. And that glint in her eye tells me she’s up to something. I glance down at her hand, seeing a measuring cup half filled with flour, and I realize what she’s going to do a split-second before she does, but not soon enough to dodge it.
A cloud of white powder hits me straight in the face, and I cough as I inhale some. Wiping away the dust from my eyes, I say, “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Oh, well, I just figured you’d know enough to duck.” She shrugs and offers me a saccharine smile.
“I don’t think you want to start this with me, baby.”
“In case you missed the flour in your face a second ago, I already started it, baby.”
I stare her down, then reach over, grabbing the bowl of melted chocolate—my mom’s secret ingredient in her cookies—and dip my fingers into it. Winter narrows her eyes at me and takes a step back. “Don’t you dare.”
“Where you goin’? I thought you wanted to get messy.”
“No, I wanted you to get messy. I didn’t have a choice with this,” she says as she gestures to where the flour hit her. She darts her eyes down to the bowl of chocolate, then back up to my face. “Don’t, Cade. You’re going to get me dirty, and I have to be at work soon.”
“You maybe should’ve thought about that before you threw a scoop of flour in my face.” I don’t wait for her response before I smear the chocolate down her cheek to her jaw, then all the way down her neck and into the deep V of her shirt, stopping when I feel the swell of her breasts. “Whoops.”
“You did not just do that.”
“Looks like I did.” I shrug, putting the bowl back on the counter before I lick the chocolate from my fingers. She focuses on the act, her lips parted. I lean closer to her, drop my voice, and gesture to the spots of her skin that are covered. “You want me to clean you up, too?”
Glaring, she gives a jerky shake of her head, but a flush works its way up her chest to her neck—one of the tells she’s getting turned on.
I step closer, backing her into the corner until she’s pressed against the cabinets behind her. “Sure about that? It wouldn’t take much. Just a lick or two. Maybe a couple sucks. We’d probably have to take your shirt off, though, and your bra, too. I really got down in there.”
Her head’s tilted back as she stares up at me, her chest rising and falling in quick succession from her labored breathing.
I lean into her space, lick up a path from her neck to her ear. “I think you do. I think you want my tongue all over you, don’t you, baby? I got you all dirty. Seems only fair I clean you up.” Before she can respond, my mouth closes over her shoulder, my tongue tracing along the chocolate I smeared there. By the time I’ve dipped into the neckline of her shirt, my tongue in the valley of her breasts, her nipples are pressed tight against the material, and she’s got a white-knuckled grip on the countertop behind her.
“Want me to stop?”
I wait a second. Two. And when she gives the slightest shake of her head, I take. Gripping her face in my hands, my mouth covers hers, my tongue slipping inside. She groans into the kiss, her hands finally coming up to clutch my forearms.
“Wait.” She wrenches her mouth from mine, turning her head to the side. “Cade, wait. Your sister.”
I focus on licking every stray ounce of chocolate I can find, her hands a counterpoint to her words as she holds me close. “Not home. Gone till four.”
“Shit! Four. I have to be at work at four!”
“We’ve got time. Now stop talking.”
I peel her jeans and panties off, then lift her onto the counter, desperate to feel her around me. With one hand, I fumble with the button of my jeans, the other busy between Winter’s thighs, rubbing soft circles around her clit, getting her ready for me. She’s moaning, her head resting back on the cabinets, and the sight of her there, half naked in my kitchen, is too much. Too fucking much, and I can’t get my goddamn jeans off.
When she notices, her hands are there, opening my jeans and yanking my boxers down just far enough to pull me out. Her hands are around my cock, pumping slowly, and I need inside her now.

*****
 
Well, I definitely haven't gotten to that part yet! Whoa! A BIG thank you to everyone at Berkeley Romance for allowing me to participate in this awesome celebration!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Book Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: April 14, 2011
Publisher: Dutton Adult
353 Pages

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?



Attachments is the second book I've read by Rainbow Rowell, and with each word she writes, she enchants me more and more. This novel is a bit unconventional, and Rowell pulls it off with ease. She is a phenomenal writer, who produced another marvelous story that completely captured my heart.

Beth and Jennifer have been friends for years; they even work at the same newspaper. Unbeknownst to them, it's Lincoln's job to monitor emails of the newspaper employees, and their personal back-and-forth emails have been flagged for his viewing. Lincoln's life is a mess. He can't seem to get over his ex, Samantha. He lives with his mother, and he has a job he hates. The only highlight of his life is the witty, intelligent emails he reads written by Beth and Jennifer. Beth and Jennifer have their own problems to worry about, but through a series of awkwardly adorable events, the lives of these three intertwine.

I love the layout of this story. For most of the book, the chapters flip between emails between Jennifer and Beth, and Lincoln's point-of-view. We only know the two women through what Lincoln sees in their emails, but the reader will get a clear view into Lincoln's head. Both parts play off one another very well, and they flow very well. The format of the chapters is interesting. The emails shared between Beth and Jennifer were my favorite part of the novel, and they were set up so well, in my opinion. I was quite surprised that I cared more about their friendship than the romance of the story. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the romance! It's just nice to see a story with dimension, and characters who care for more than just love. Seeing the support between these two friends was lovely.

I think a major reason that I connected so well with this novel is because I could relate to each of the main characters. They are flawed, and honest. Beth, Jennifer, and Lincoln are all going through their own struggles, and finding their own path. It was wonderful to read about characters who didn't have their lives together, who were dealing with insecurities, and fears. This book made me feel comfortable with myself. I definitely don't have it all together, and it's nice to know that I am not alone in that. Attachments is realistic, and awkward, and romantic in the weirdest, best way. It's an easy read probably because it's just so easy to love.

I don't have anything negative to say about this story. While I didn't fall in love with it the same way that I did Fangirl, the other Rainbow Rowell novel that I've read, Attachments was a gorgeous story. This is a novel about making your own happiness, true friendship, and finding love along the way. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of romantic comedies, and I, personally, can't wait to dive into another one of Rainbow's novels.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

How to Come Back After an Extended Hiatus

So if you haven't noticed, I haven't posted on here in... months. After putting my soul into this blog for two years, I just dropped off the face of the planet. Real life got in the way of doing what I love. I was in a car accident in July that left me with some medical issues, and put me in a financial, and mental, rut. I got a second job, and became a year older. I got hooked on kdramas and anime, and fell for a jerk who screwed me over. Now that I'm slowly finding my way back, I decided that I needed to post again because I miss this blog, I miss books, and talking to all the lovely people.

Now the question is... 
How do you come back after months of being away?

1) Freak Out a Bit


2) Find a Support System (in my case, it's my cat, and my wonderful co-blogger Jenn)


3) Come Up With A Plan (Then Realize That It Sucks)


4) Chillax


5) Catch Up on Some Reading


6) Eat A Lot of Ice Cream/Chocolate/Sugar


7) Meditate (or take a nap)


8) Dance Off Emotions


9) Try to Remember How Blogger Works


10) Hit The Post Button


It's good to be back! I hope you all will bear with me as I adjust back into the life of an obsessive blogger. I also want to thank Jenn for being so patience with me, and for being my rock. She's the best. And thank you for reading!

*All GIFS are linked from Tumblr, and can be found by searching "anime gifs." I do not own any of them.
 
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